Backdrop

Nestled between Austria, Slovenia and the rest of Italy, Friuli has been silently growing over the centuries just like the “arbe garbe”, the bad weeds. But everything is good indeed about this borderland that quietly and discretely provided fertile ground for the Roman Empire, the Barbarians, the Huns and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, all of which invaded it and settled there throughout the ages, all planting their roots and melting into the blend. A land of migrants, silent crossroad of cultures where sacred and pagan have been living next door to each other, the people timorously gathering in the village churches while the witches were gathering in the woods.

Friuli hides in the Valleys of the Eastern Hills. Its essence is concealed in the arcane valleys carved by the rivers of the Colli Orientali – Natisone and Torre. These valleys are traditionally populated with peculiar creatures that human are not and innumerable accounts of their sightings were handed-down by our great-grandparents. Meantime, the wine has been free flowing on every kitchen table of every village, to our day – although we do not ascribe the aforementioned visions to it.

We began crafting Arbe Garbe wines in 2007 as a way to reconnect to our roots. We make these wines like we raise our children: no absolute rules and no recipes, because each Vintage is unique like each child is. The variables of wine-making -or childrearing- are determined “as vintage calls”: in-depth study, careful observation and raw guts. With a purely hedonistic approach, we create ever-changing blends that embrace the melting pot we live in – California, and the one we’ve left behind.